First Edition: January 13, 2023
January 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Ask Voters Directly, and Abortion Rights Wins Most Ballot Fights
By Julie Rovner
January 13, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Anti-abortion candidates have fared well in recent elections. But decades of ballot initiatives — including a half-dozen measures considered after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June — show that when voters are asked directly, they usually side with preserving abortion rights.
Ending Involuntary Commitments Would Shift Burden of Dementia Care to Strapped Communities
By Keely Larson
January 13, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Health department officials anticipate having to transfer two dozen patients from the Montana State Hospital to another state-run facility if a bill to end involuntary commitments passes.
Why People Who Experience Severe Nausea During Pregnancy Often Go Untreated
By Katheryn Houghton
January 13, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Because morning sickness is common, severe nausea in pregnancy can be minimized by doctors or the patients themselves. Untreated, symptoms can worsen — and delays lead to medical emergencies.
California Attorney General Sues Drugmakers Over Inflated Insulin Prices
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
January 12, 2023
KFF Health News Original
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is taking three major drugmakers and three distributors to court, alleging the companies illegally raised prices at the expense of diabetes patients.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': GOP House Opens With Abortion Agenda
January 12, 2023
Podcast
Leaders of the new Republican-led U.S. House kicked off their legislative agenda with two bills supported by anti-abortion groups. While neither is likely to become law, the move demonstrates how abortion will continue to be an issue in Washington. Meanwhile, as open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act nears its end in most states, the number of Americans covered by the plans hits a new high. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Fiscal general de California demanda a farmacéuticas por “inflar” los precios de la insulina
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
January 12, 2023
KFF Health News Original
En la demanda, Rob Bonta argumentó que los precios se han disparado y que algunos pacientes se han visto obligados a racionar sus medicamentos o renunciar por completo a comprar insulina.
Opioid Deaths Likely To Hit Record In 2022 In Cook County, Illinois
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Chicago Tribune covers the heavy toll of the opioid crisis in Cook County. The Boston Globe, meanwhile, talks about making opioid addiction treatment more accessible in Rhode Island, where fatal drug overdoses are “historically high.” Also: gun laws, mental health clinicians, and more.
NYC Nursing Strike Ends; ‘Harmful Events’ Hit 25% Of Hospital Patients
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
The strike, which affected around 7,000 nurses at two of New York City’s largest hospitals is over after three days. Separately, NBC News covers how nearly 1 in 4 hospitalized patients experience harm. Other industry news includes a donation to Harvard Medical School, AI in health, and more.
Scientists Find Long Covid’s Symptoms May Fade Inside A Year
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets cover developments in research into long covid, including a classification of four “major” types of the illness, and how for mild infections the effects may subside within a year. Separately, scientists found that listening to music during lockdowns lowered people’s stress.
Carcinogen Found In Beauty Products Popular With Black Americans
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study found elevated levels of formaldehyde in items like skin lotions and hair gels, many of which are aimed at Black markets. Also in the news: misgendering trans people after death, cardiac arrest in young athletes, rhabdomyolysis, and prolonged sitting.
HHS Offers Timelines For First Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure says that the list of the 10 drugs that Medicare will put through negotiations with drugmakers will be published by Sept. 1. The public will also have an opportunity to weigh in along the way.
As Gas Stove Chatter Roils Lawmakers, Biden Administration Clarifies
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
“To be clear, I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the [U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission] has no proceeding to do so,” Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric told the Wall Street Journal. Also in the news: First Lady Jill Biden’s Mohs surgery; Obamacare’s popularity in South Florida; CAR T-cell therapy in doctors’ offices; and more.
Research Roundup: Covid; Mpox; Alzheimer’s; Liver Disease
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, January 12, 2023
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s roundup covers abortion laws, covid, variants, Medicare drug prices, opioid deaths, gas stoves, nurse strike, long covid, and more.
Officials Frustrated That More In Nursing Homes Aren’t Vaccinated
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
Underscoring the pandemic’s complexity, Politico reports that state and federal health officials are frustrated that thousands of seniors ended up in hospitals since the holidays, even as NBC News covers words from an FDA adviser questioning whether younger, healthier people need another covid booster.
White House Renews Covid Public Health Emergency Again
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
The extension lasts for another 90 days. In related covid news on the XBB.1.5 variant: why it doesn’t get a Greek letter; what you should know about its spread; and more.
Alabama Could Prosecute Patients For Taking Abortion Pills, Attorney General Says
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall says that a state chemical endangerment law could be used to charge people who have a medication abortion. Other state abortion news comes from Nebraska, Montana, New Hampshire, Florida, and elsewhere.
House Passes First Anti-Abortion Bills Of New Term
January 12, 2023
Morning Briefing
The two measures, approved largely along party lines, lay out new penalties for doctors that don’t provide medical care for an infant born alive after an abortion attempt and condemn violence against anti-abortion groups. Neither measure is expected to pass the Senate, but illustrate House Republicans’ roadmap for the new term.